The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-05-12
A DEATH BROKER.
BUSINESS WHICH REVERSES TIE
OPERATIONS OF LIFE INSURANCE.

of the BuSlnEss
1t was in real estate brokers Office on
Court street, and the time was after dinner
The broker had just disposed of big brick
swell front house on Commonwealth avenue
with as much case and as little difficulty as
YOU could sell pint of peanuts at cattle
fair. He was "A man of business, that broker
was, and to use an expression which he de-
lighted in, he liked to see things so at the
first "crack."
| rather liked him, although l was not
stuck" on him, for l was taught in my earl
Ter and innocent days to be cautious i'll my
dealings with the man who talked business as
cold bloodedly to me as an Anarchist hurls
bomb at car Of all the Russias.
"You buy legacies'" remarked. Such
flat, stale and Improbable remark, l
thought, beside tho vigorous and prolonged
push which he gave to his alacritous vocab-
ulary.
YES" he replied, II make and have made
a great many contingent investments-post
obit investments some call them. You will
perceive that my business is a novel one, in
this country at least 1t is of frequent occur
renee in England for young man who has
been bequeathed a sum of money, or left
some real estate, to sell his right to such prop
erty, the buyer, of course, not realizing his
benefit until the death Of some guardian,
uncle, aunt or parent. OF course we take no
chances on simple wills of living persons, as
such persons may change their wills dozen
times before they go over the river Where
would we be if we did! We'd be in the river,
and not aAOat, you bet.
BENEFITS OF THE BUSINESS.
"Let me give you an illustration of the
benefits of this business. Only few days
ago sailor chap steps in here. Says he, I've
Just come ashore, having laid alongside one OF
Uncle Sans guns for years. haven't nick,
We see, and a chap as would like to go with me
to soc Jake Kilrain and Joe Lannon maui
each other give me the tip that sell what
right l has in the property left me and ma
brother by the old man. l can't get pics
until the ole woman dies, and although shs9
near 90, shiyer me timbers if don't think iGll
be q big break before she goes aloft. So, we
see, goes to me brother, and axes him what
he'll give me fur my share. He tells me that
my share amt worth a schooner of beer, I'm
disheartened, dye see, until this chap as
wants to see the fight-a Teller as reads, he is,
though he does booze-tells me that you could
do me up. Now, if we can, and does, I'm no
tsr if don't drink yer health more'n wunst
Re see, cap'n, we want to get peep at the
mauling'
Questioning the fellow further, l was
assured that his claim was solid, and | offered
him $500 for it at the first crack He went
away and soon returned with the Information
that his brother had abandoned the schooner
of beer theory, and would give him $1,000 in
cold cash. / went the brother 800 better,
however, and we closed the trade.
$50, you see, have not as YET received a
copper in return for my expenditure, and
won't until the sailors mother died. OF
course, the chances are against her living long
enough to euchre me out OF my investment.
You must remember there are cases where
the principal and compound interest of the
cum advanced may i'll time exceed the sum
realized in the end You see, some old
women never die What's to kill them?
Having passed through all the critical stages
of womanhood, leading exemplary lives, re-
firing early and not arising too early, drink
ing tea and eating toast, why shouldn't they
live long enough to battle me! Some day
far away-they may dry up and blow off;
then have q show to make a dollar.
"You see this business is the reverse of life
insurance While the life insurance man is
interested in the prolongation of human life,
the legacy buyer looks upon death as the
messenger who unlocks the safety deposit
vaults of Dives, and mal.Es the heart of said
legacy buyer happy. Thus the dark pail be-
comes an immaculate wedding garment"
THE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED.
He went on: I'm tell you another thing.
II often happens that this contingent invest
ment business operates in favor of the one
who takes the risk and the one who sells the
legacy. Thus, to protect myself, frequently
get the life of the man in question insured for
a sum equal to the expected legacy. So, it
he dies before get my legacy, why l am
protected by the insurance 1t has so hap
pened that 1 get my share all right, while the
man who is insured, or his family, is not left
either.
"But do wish had those old ladies, good
souls, off my hands. I've got three of them
already, and may have more before winter
thaws out in the lap Of spring However, l
prefer them to some of the beats l come in
contact with. You can't imagine the numer-
GUS forces against which l am obliged to
work sometimes Dishonest legacy hunters,
INSCRIPTIONS trustees and such. There is a
wide scope for a man who wants to be
crooked. Now, if buy legacy from a fell
low there is nothing to prevent him from
selling it again to some other man. The
courts in this state have decided that the in
vestment belongs to the first purchaser.
Therefore, If fellow comes in here to offer
me legacy for sale, how do know that he
has not already sold it to somebody else?
"But you ought to see the array of cranks
with whom | have to deal" he went on.
why, they come here from all parts, from
all classes and conditions, imagining that they
have got some money tied up somewhere,
Why, had woman come in here not long
ago who told me that Jay Gould held $780,
600 in trust for her, and that she would sell
it for two-thirds. OF course, she did not fool
me- Then colored woman, who claims to
be Queen Of Africa, and who speaks of her
daughter as the princess, is frequent caller
She says that she owns gold mine or that
she will own one when her father, who is ], 200
years OLD, dies. She says the mine is in the
Congo country. I think it must exist in the
great desert Of Sahara; that is, in the only
oasis of her brain. Then there is a Chinaman
who wants TO sell me his interest in a tea field,
which he says is thirty miles outside OF
Canton, China His is a sad story. He de-
clares that he was a merchant of respect and
prominencein Canton, but, through love Of
opium, neglected his business, which finally
fell into the hands of creditors, with the e1-
ceptlon OF a certain field, which, by Mongo.